A good ipod dock for an ipod classic.

is the new wadia 171i that much better than the 170i?

joe in Mobile

171 is not out yet. I have one on order from MusicDirect, and they are quoting that they should be receiving them direct from the importer in early January.

Have you had any experience with the 170i? Let us know what you think of the 171i. What are they asking for the 171i?

Joe in Mobile

Ive had the 170 since it came out. Great product, I really like it. If you read all of the posts out there, there are many descriptions of its weaknesses, especially that it is prone to jitter. To my ears it is hard for me to decern between the Ipod with music ripped with Apple Lossless, and the same CD. All is running through my Cambridge Audio 840C CDP.

So naturally I am curious about the new model. It is listed at $600, and bosts a new power supply and some other upgrades over the 170.

If you have an iPod, then I assume you have an iTunes collection on a PC or Mac. If you also have wi-fi in your home or an ethernet outlet convenient to the audio system, you could instead get a Logitech Squeezebox Touch and bypass the iPod altogether. The Squeezebox Touch will find your digital music files residing on the same wi-fi. It can also channel any digital music services you've subscribed to.

The Squeezebox Touch costs less than the Wadia iTransport ($299 vs. $379), has a built-in 24/96 DAC, can use the internal DAC to output analog stereo headphone or R-L RCAs, or bypass the internal DAC to output SP/DIF in RCA coax or Toslink. It can accept input from wi-fi, Ethernet cable, or USB.